Date: November 20, 2025
Source: Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube)
Following Thursday’s 3–2 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube discussed the team’s overall effort, Easton Cowan’s continued rise, improved defensive detail, Scott Laughton’s return, the forecheck, Dakota Mermis’ goal, John Tavares’ workload, and the play of the club’s top players in heavy minutes.
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On the Team’s Overall Performance
“We played a pretty solid game all around. I thought guys worked and competed and did a lot of good things. Overtime — it’s the way it goes.”
On Easton Cowan Earning Trust Late in Games
“He’s taken some good steps from day one. He’s like a dog on a bone out there for me. He works and skates and sees the ice extremely well. He’s being a lot heavier on pucks and making good decisions. I thought he played a really good game tonight.”
On Whether the Last Two Games Show Progress
“For sure. We’re defending a lot better. We’re doing a lot of good things. We needed to finish better tonight — that’s really the story. But things are going in a good direction. We’ve just got to keep working on it and keep building and get some healthy bodies back.”
On Scott Laughton’s Return
“I thought he was really good tonight. A lot of energy. Skated well. Killed penalties. Created some offense. He brings that tenacity every shift with work.”
On the Leafs’ Forecheck
“Good dumps, rims — we talked about it. We got on it and created a bunch of stalls and got it back. A lot of good things off our forecheck. We talked about putting pucks behind them all night. I thought we did a good job of it. We just came up short tonight.”
On Dakota Mermis Scoring
“They’re excited. He’s a very well-liked guy on our team. Solid guy. He’s come in and done a good job for us with the injuries. He’s played pretty well.”
On John Tavares’ Start to the Season
“I don’t know if anything’s going up. He just wills his way around the ice. The effort he puts in every shift is remarkable. Another solid performance from him.”
On Managing Heavy Minutes With Top Players
“I can tell sometimes. It was great having Laughton back because I didn’t use him against the Fantilli line all night. I used Laughton’s line against them to give them a little breather and get them against different lines and different D pairs and not so many D-zone faceoffs.”
On the Power Play Going Scoreless
“Power play was good. I’m not going to sit here and complain that we didn’t score. We did the right things to score and I thought it created momentum for our team.”
Pulse Takeaway
Despite the overtime loss, Berube saw meaningful progress: tighter defensive play, improved forechecking, and another standout night from Easton Cowan. Scott Laughton’s return brought needed energy, while Dakota Mermis’ goal energized the bench. With injuries still lingering and the group searching for finishing touch, Berube emphasized that the foundation is trending upward — even if the results haven’t fully followed yet.
Quotes from Craig Berube via Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube).
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and length.